It's a Charming Life
by McEvoyer
Summary: This story takes place straight after the season one finale in which the Charmings are reunited with their daughter. One-shot.


**Hey guys! This is my first OUAT fanfic and I hope you like it! I decided to leave their names as Mary Margaret and David because it was easier as I wrote! Anywho, enjoy **

They could do nothing but watch. Watch as the purple fog engulfed everything in its path and bring with it nothing but ominous thoughts. Emma tried to remain strong for Henry's sake; after all, she thought he had been lost forever just a couple of minutes ago, that was the least she could do. That pain was unbearable; believing that your son, whom you love with everything inside of your heart, was gone, no longer breathing, is the worst feeling imaginable. So much so, that you forget how to even breathe yourself. She ran her hand through his hair in a calming rhythmic motion, her eyes glued to the window and to whatever was unfolding outside. Yet, she couldn't hide the fact that whatever was going on scared the hell out of her.

"What do you think that is?" Henry inquired. He was an inquisitive one.

"I don't know, kid. Must have something to do with the curse," she surmised, still reeling from the last few minutes.

"But you broke the curse," Henry pointed out, tugging her jacket so she would look at him. His eyes were soft and full of pride. "I always knew you could do it."

Emma sat next to him on the bed as all the doctors and nurses ran around like headless chickens remembering who they, and indeed everyone else, were. "That makes one of us," she laughed once.

"The purple stuff is different. I don't think it has anything to do with the curse. If only I could figure out..."

"Okay, Sherlock, I think it's time for you to get some rest. You've had a big day." She pulled the blankets around him tightly hoping that he would listen to her. The last thing he – or she, if she was being honest – needed was to dive into another operation. Operation Cobra was tiring enough – especially when you have to fight dragons with swords. Not what Emma had expected.

"I can't sleep now, the curse is broken!" Henry exclaimed removing himself from the blanket's stranglehold.

"Henry-"

"Don't you know what this means?" He knelt in front of his mother, his eyes dancing with excitement.

"What?" Emma had no idea what her son was alluding to. Right now all she cared about was Henry getting some rest - curse or no curse.

"Everybody remembers who they are! Including Snow White and Prince Charming!"

Emma's breath hitched as soon as she realised what Henry was saying. The curse was real and it had been broken...by her. That meant that everybody in Storybrooke remembered who they were. And that meant that Mary Margaret remembered that she was Snow White and David remembered he was Prince Charming. And _that _meant that they remembered that they...that they...that they were her...her..._parents_. She could hardly think the word. In all her confusion and fear and worry for Henry it had completely escaped her mind that Mary Margaret – her best friend and roommate – was actually her mother. Her _mother_! Oh. My. God.

Henry waited as Emma put all the pieces together, watching as her expression changed with every passing second. "They're my parents," Emma said, her voice barely audible over the commotion around them.

"Exactly!" Her kid was elated at her understanding. "We have to find them!"

"No, Henry, you need to rest," she replied with a stern parental voice she didn't realise she had in her weapons arsenal. She wasn't sure if she was ready for a Charming reunion just yet. It was all a bit overwhelming.

"Okay," Henry shrugged getting back under the covers.

"Okay?" Emma didn't think her son would give in so easily.

"Yeah, you don't need to find them," he smiled.

"I don't?" This was not like him at all. Maybe he wasn't okay.

"Nope, because they found you."

Emma followed his gaze outside of his room and saw them staring in. Snow White and Prince Charming. Mary and David. Mom and Dad. Mary opened the door slowly and stepped timidly inside with David following suit, their fingers intertwined. Emma stood up from the bed. She had waited her whole life to meet her parents, she had so many questions but, now as she looked at them, knowing them the way she did, she couldn't find any words. It was all too surreal.

"Emma," Mary Margaret breathed, her eyes sparking with tears.

Despite herself, Emma shifted uncomfortably at the way her name sounded. It was said in the same tone she used when she saw Henry lying there lifeless.

"Hey," was all she could muster.

"You both remember!" Henry interjected, jumping out of the sheets. "You remember who you are!"

"Yes, we do." David stated, reaching out to ruffle Henry's hair. "And more importantly, we remember our daughter." His voice was a mere whisper but Emma noticed that it was more...royal than usual. He placed a loving hand on his wife's shoulder as a sign of comfort.

Mary Margaret smiled. "I always said you had my chin."

Emma still couldn't find any words but tears started to fill her eyes, blurring her vision.

Her mother moved closer to her – not close enough so it was uncomfortable – but closer. "We're so, so sorry, Emma."

"Deeply sorry," David reiterated emotionally.

Emma faced the ground, not herself when dealing with emotions and feelings. "I know."

Mary Margaret extended her hand to her probably knowing that a hug wouldn't really be wanted in this particular situation. Her daughter tentatively reached out and took it in hers and instantly felt their connection. Like their bond had been deepened. David moved around the bed to stand next to his family, also touching his daughter's hand. A tear fell from his eye.

Mary Margaret was the first to break the...spell. "Henry, I'm so glad you're okay!" she said sweetly, grabbing him and kissing his forehead. "And I'm sorry I didn't believe you."

"It's alright. Not many did," he chuckled happily.

David touched Emma's arm lightly, looking her right in the eye. "What do you say we go home and talk about all this," he offered, transfixed by her similarities to her mother.

"Yes, Emma?"

Emma pushed her blonde hair behind her ear. "Yeah, okay. But Henry you have to stay here and rest."

"But I'm fine," he protested.

"Just stay in one more night and rest. Please, do it for me." She kissed the top of his head.

"Okay, for you. I am a bit tired, I guess."

"Good, it's sorted." She kissed him again, so happy that he was alive and well. "I love you, kid," she smiled.

"I love you, too."

When they entered the home in which Emma and Mary Margaret lived, Emma was struck by how much time she had spent with her birth mother unbeknownst to her. She knew she felt a connection with her, and viewed her like family but she honestly never thought this would happen. Henry had been talking for weeks about how Snow White was her mother but it was all so...impossible. Things like this do not happen to people.

Mary Margaret was quick to go to the kitchen and pull out three mugs. "Hot chocolate with cinnamon?" she asked, trying to remain calm.

"Do you have anything stronger?" Emma joked taking a seat at the island.

"Hot chocolate sounds great, Snow," David said, taking a seat next to her. "You're just like her, you know," he whispered to her, nodding to Mary Margaret.

Emma raised her eyebrows. "I am?"

"Yes. You have the same stubborn, tough streak running through you. That was the first thing I noticed about Snow and it was the first thing I noticed about you." He beamed at her affectionately.

Mary Margaret placed a mug in front of each member of her family and brought hers to her nose, smelling the cinnamon. Emma stared into her mug thinking about what David said. She did notice that Mary Margaret had a tough side to her when they were locked in Jefferson's house. Huh, she guessed Jefferson wasn't crazy after all. But there was one thing she desperately needed to her from her...parents –saying that was going to take some getting used to.

"What actually happened that day?"

Mary Margaret put down her mug, knowing exactly what Emma was implying, tears making an appearance again. "The Queen placed a curse on our world and we needed to protect you. You were our main priority."

"We were told that only one person could escape this world and the curse by going into the wardrobe. The plan was to put Snow in before you were born so that you would be raised knowing where you came from and knowing your destiny to save us all from the curse," David continued.

"But I went into labour early and I gave birth to you as the Queen's men were drawing near. Only one person could go, sweetie. And we had to protect you. We were only thinking of you."

"It was the hardest decision we ever had to make, letting someone we love so much go."

Both of them were visibly upset now and Emma felt a part of her ache as they relayed the story.

"When I held you in my arms for the first time, I never wanted to let you go. It's amazing how much you can love someone when you've only known them for a short amount of time. But we needed to save you and as much as my heart broke and hurt, I needed to give you the best chance of life," Mary Margaret choked out, the events of that day hitting her at full force.

David placed his hand over hers. "I took you to the wardrobe – well, I had to fight off a few men in order to do so – and I looked at you and kissed you on your forehead before I placed you in it. I can't describe how much I wanted to take you out of it and hold you but I knew that you had to go."

Mary Margaret lifted Emma's chin so that she could make eye-contact with her daughter. Her beautiful, strong, kind daughter. "We are so sorry for the life you had to lead; we had no idea that it would be so hard on you. But you need to know that you were wanted and you were loved. And, you, Emma Swan, will always be wanted and loved. We love you, Emma, more than you'll ever know."

Emma had to turn away. The words were so sincere and so genuine and so full of love. Emma had always wanted to hear those words, yearned to understand why she was given up, and most importantly, craved her parents' love. And, yes, it was completely and utterly surreal – her parents were fairytale characters. Not just any fairytale characters, but _the _fairytale couple: Snow White and Prince Charming. _And _they were the same age as her. That was definitely something that was going to be hard to get used to. But they were her parents. Emma did at one point wish that she and Mary Margaret were family, yet this was unexpected...but in a good way.

Emma stood up from her seat to look at both her parents. She had been carrying around resentment for twenty-eight years but how could she resent them for protecting her? She had done the same for Henry. "I forgive you." She spoke as clearly as she could, though her voice cracking under the weight of her vulnerability.

"You do?" Mary Margaret's eyes widened.

"Yeah you were just trying to give me my best shot in life. I know what that's like."

Unable to control her emotions, Mary Margaret strode over and embraced Emma tightly. "Thank you, Emma."

David kissed his daughter's head as she held her mother. "We love you."

Emma, crying now, wrapped one of her arms around David, pulling him close. "I love you guys, too...but it might take a while for me to call you, you know, Mom and Dad."

Her parents laughed and Emma joined in. Though not by any means a normal family, Emma was just relieved and overjoyed that this one was hers.

**So this was a one-shot. I wanted to do a Charming reunion but I wanted it to a little more realistic than Emma just accepting who her parents are so i went down this route. Please, please, please review and let me know what you think! I'd love to hear what you have to say! Hope you enjoyed!**


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